1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a cleaning unit for an optical system of an electronic copying machine and, in particular to a cleaning device using a cleaning pad movable across the optical surfaces of a copy machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When the surface of a light transmitting member included in an optical system used for the purpose of exposure in an electronic copying machine is contaminated by fines or dust floating in the air, a proper exposure of a photosensitive member may be impaired. The reduction in the transmitted light will cause a degradation in the image quality of the copy obtained. Frequently, such contamination is caused by fines contained in the environmental atmosphere which is drawin into the system when the lamp, which is used as a light source for illuminating an original, has cooled. In particular, with a system which developes an electrostatic latent image with a toner powder, an increased quantity of toner dust remains floating within the system, causing a considerable increase in contamination. There has been no positive approach to the removal of such contamination, and it has been often necessary to disassemble part of the copying machine to permit a necessary cleaning operation.